Pyralis slammed her fist down, the metal in her fist making a large clang against the steel table. She stared at the recording recovered from Citrus’s mech. The Moonrise in all its glory.

She got to watch in high definition a spike slamming into the head of the Hammer, with the aftershock of the blow caving the metal inwards. A horrible screech of metal played back on the recording, with a bellowing sound akin to thunder shaking the landscape.

The machine didn’t stand a chance against the railgun, collapsing to the ground. Pyralis watches as the Anvil stands still for a moment, and yells over the communications. Some of his last words, in a sense.

A few moments of footage, before the video turns away from the gory sight. They run away from the horror and destruction presumably behind them. She can hear Citrus choke back a sob as she makes her escape.

Pyralis didn’t want to believe it was Elara in the machine on the video. The Moonrise, twisted to Imperial control. The thought alone was terrifying.

It didn’t move like Elara. The Moonrise jerked around, as if its pilot was struggling to control it. Despite its erratic behavior, it barely seemed to lower its effectiveness as it flew into the battlefield. Elara’s typical grace was nowhere to be seen.

The Moonrise could only be described as manic, moving like a poorly crafted puppet. It seemed desperate to fight, and moved with incredible speed. Pyralis had only seen this kind of behavior from the Moonrise back before Elara had her arms replaced, that raw anger that didn’t care for her enemy.

Whatever was sitting in the cockpit of that machine couldn’t be Elara. She wouldn’t do this.

Pyralis ripped her gaze away from the video, instead focusing on Preon. She was sitting in a seat across the table, as far as she could be from Pyr. Preon was hanging her head, avoiding looking up at the video, or Pyralis.

Remorseful, perhaps. Pyralis clenched her fist unconsciously, still refusing to forgive the doctor. She deserved to suffer, to feel guilt for keeping Elara from her.

“Commander, this is the fifth time we’ve gone over the video. There’s nobody else on this planet who could pilot the Moonrise with such proficiency. None of us want it to be her, Pyr,” Rhine stated. Her eyes were bloodshot, cheeks still stained with tears. She looked almost crazed, wracked with grief from the reminder of the loss of one of her best friends, and her sister.

What had they done to her? Elara wouldn’t have done this. She had no way of knowing that Layris wouldn’t be out there today. Even discarding her distaste for killing, Pyralis couldn’t believe she would turn her weapon on a pilot she once served next to. She fought because she believed in the rebel cause.

Would Elara have taken down the Sunset with such ferocity? Pyralis had declined to take the place of Layris that day, having spent time with Faust and Anna instead.

The faint idea that Elara would have pulled the trigger without a second thought haunted Pyralis. Even the slight chance that Elara would have thrown her away, killed her in an Imperial mech. The thought sent chills up Pyr’s spine.

Finally nodding in response to Rhine’s assessment of the footage, Pyralis swallowed down her doubt. “It’s her. I just- I don’t want it to be.” Speaking the words aloud made her want to vomit, and she could feel bile creeping its way up to her esophagus.

“None of us do,” Frill cut in. He placed a hand on Pyralis’ shoulder, doing his best to comfort her. She sat back down, letting herself calm down for a moment. Frill continued, “But it’s a fact that we all have to come to terms with. Given Krill’s testimony and… Preon’s information, all signs point towards Elara being alive and piloting the Moonrise.”

“Why?” Pyralis yelled the words, forcing Frill’s hand off of her. “She wouldn’t do this, it isn’t her!” She stood, almost leaping at the screen playing back the Moonrise’s assault on Wrought’s mech. She wanted to rip it off the wall, break it for showing her this lie.

The room went dead silent as the rebels around the table considered the possibilities.

Elara could have been a spy, trained to infiltrate the base. It didn’t make sense though, she had worked her way through the ranks, made friends, and killed her own parents in the Moonrise. She had implants, but that didn’t seem to stop her from piloting for the Imperials now.

If Citrus hadn’t taken down the Imperial drones jamming her signal that day, nobody in the room would have believed that Imperials would allow Elara back into that machine. She wasn’t human to them, a deviant, a thing to be thrown away. Dead.

Maybe they were lying to her, whispering lies into her ear while showing her a fake battle in her cockpit. They were tricking her, making her believe she was still fighting the Imperials.

This at least, made a little more sense. She had fought with such reckless abandon that it felt like she was desperate, clawing for something. Maybe she was trying to fight her way home, see Pyr again. Pyralis almost wished for it to be true, but what of the Moonrise? How could she have rebuilt it without Imperial assistance?

Pyralis didn’t want to believe that Elara would defect just like that, turn tails and point her guns at the people she called friends. The facts of the matter were that, if Elara had given the specifications of the Moonrise to the Imperials, she had likely given much more. The location of this rebel base was compromised, and evacuation would be necessary.

Everybody here would have to say goodbye to their new home, the place that promised to keep them safe. A refuge away from the war, where those who had so much taken away by the Empire could heal. The realization seemed to wash over everybody in the room, and Pyralis could see a tear trickle down Anna’s face.

Faust spoke up, breaking the eerie silence in the meeting room. “In my opinion, it doesn’t matter why she’s doing this. It only matters that it happened. We need to start making plans, lest we get crushed by our former commander.” They sighed, before putting their head down on the table. Faust was exhausted, everybody was since the attack. Pyralis hadn’t seen Faust this tired in her entire time on base, usually they kept up a refined persona.

Pyralis sat back down, beginning to stare at nothing in particular. “Do we have any bases nearby that Elara didn’t know about? We can hardly plan without access to any of our materials, our labs.” She didn’t want to leave the Sunset behind, let alone the base. She wasn’t the only one here, though.

She noticed Frill perked up a tad at the mention of another base, and seemed to consider something for a moment before speaking. “There’s an old buried Imperial base, something from when I was a pilot. Odds are it’s been long abandoned.” They spoke with a grim tone, trying their best to avoid looking up at the room.

“Any reason you took so long to mention it?” Preon finally snapped out of her stupor, almost goading Frill. Of course she knew about it, just another secret she was keeping from Pyralis.

Frill made a face at Preon’s comment, before continuing. “It’s… well, it’s not in the best conditions. It’s also close. Too close. We don’t put it on our emergency plans because odds are we’d get caught in the move. There’s-”

Preon cut in, apparently not happy with the speed Frill was progressing at. “It’s filled with the bodies of rebels. It’s what happened when they found us, and finally wanted to exterminate the problem. Odorless gas pumped in through every single one of our vents. Dozens gone before we could even begin figuring it out. Dozens more until we did,” she spat. Preon looked betrayed, almost angry at Frill for even bringing the base up.

“Do you know what its name was? Rebel base warren. We were one of the biggest rebel groups this side of the river, and we were killed en-masse. That’s what Imperials do to us. This?” Preon gestured at the screen. “It’s hardly surprising. I only made it out of there because they had already taken too much of me before they pumped in the gas. You,” she pointed at Frill, “only made it out because you were off base.”

Pyralis shifted her gaze between Preon and Frill for a few moments before cutting in. “Any better options, then?” Some part of her was relieved at Preon’s objection, still not really wanting to leave base.

Preon scoffed, leaning back in her seat. “I’d rather let them gut us here than trod on a rebel grave.” She continued eyeing Frill. “I say we take our chances here.”

Frill shook his head, turning towards Pyralis. “It’s suicide to stay.” He shot a glance at Preon. “Odds are, they’ll kill everybody here in a similar fashion. We have to take our chances moving.”

As much as Pyralis wanted to leave Preon to die here in the base, they needed her for her expertise regarding Elara’s implants. She considered dragging the doctor kicking and screaming for a moment, before Anna began to speak.

“I won’t go either. This is our home. I won’t abandon it like this,” she said with a hint of anger. “If we keep running we won’t be able to keep up with them. I say we stay and fight.”

Citrus and Faust nodded in agreement, with Faust turning a pale white. Pyralis wasn’t sure what about the conversation had struck so deeply, but she didn’t have a mind to ask.

“That’s what they said too, you know,” Preon added. “It’s noble, but stupid. I think leaving is the right choice, but I refuse to tread on the bodies of my brethren.” She stood, heading towards the door of the room. “I’ll be in my lab, I shouldn’t be involved in this decision anyways.”

Pyralis was slightly relieved to see her go, still tense from her argument with the doctor a few hours earlier. “I- I don’t know what I want to do. I want to get in Sunset and run out there and see her. I want to run away and hide and hope that she’s there on the other side.” She looked down, twiddling her fingers around. “I think we should stay. At least, I’m going to. I can’t leave her behind here.”

She thought about Elara’s room, or, her room now. Pyralis hadn’t touched a lot of it since she had left, afraid that if she did, she’d lose a piece of Elara. It was silly, but it had brought Pyralis some comfort. She had begun sleeping in Preon’s office more, not feeling right about sleeping where Elara used to.

Not tonight, though. Pyralis considered curling up on the floor of the room, where she’d slept when Elara said she had been misbehaving. What she’d give to hear her voice again.

Frill looked at her, a little hurt. “I’m not going to stay and watch all of you get killed again. I’ll be leading evacuation efforts for the next few days. I hope you all change your mind.” He promptly stood from the table, following Preon out of the room.

---

Anna knocked on the door in front of her, waiting sheepishly as she heard somebody groan something from inside. She took it as permission to enter, sliding the door open.

She saw Layris, laying there on her bed, face wet with tears. The covers were barely covering half her body, the rest of her limbs crumpled up by her side.

“You look like shit, Ley,” Anna noted. She walked towards the heap of a person laying in front of her, crouching down by her side. “You wanna talk about it?”

Layris mumbled as she turned to face Anna. “What is there to talk about? The love of my life was just killed by my best friend who I thought was dead. Just another day in paradise,” she said half-heartedly. She threw the covers over the rest of her body, bundling up below the blankets.

Anna rolled her eyes, smiling as she leaned her head onto the mattress. “Yeah. It- Do you really think it was her in there?” Her voice wavered, and she stared into Layris’ eyes. Anna had trouble believing it, despite the mounting odds. She wasn’t sure what she wanted Layris to tell her.

“Who else? She was always the best of us, wasn’t she?” Layris scoffed. She stared back at Anna, cracking a light smile. “What brings you to my doorstep, oh fair maiden?”

Layris always was such a nerd. Anna was reminded of their late nights roleplaying as knights and lords in medieval times, back when the two were trainees.

Chuckling, Anna replied. “Oh, like you look like the pillar of aristocracy right now, Ley.” She collapsed further onto the side of the bed, sighing.

“Oh come on, indulge the grieving pregnant woman, you brute,” Layris lightly punched Anna, laughing a bit. She couldn’t muster the strength to strike the pilot any harder than a light tap, not having left her bed since learning about Wrought.

Anna’s eyes went wide, staring at Layris. “Pre- You- I thought you didn’t want kids!” She got up off the bed, staring at Layris’ abdomen. Anna threw her head back as she burst out into laughter. “Hah! Our resident sulker a mother!”

Layris let out another groan, rolling away to face the wall. “Yeah yeah, laugh it up!” She choked out a little sob as she turned to face Anna again. “You… Well, you know who the father is. Do you remember how it was? Before I got married?” She grabbed onto Anna’s wrist, as if afraid of her getting up to leave.

“Don’t even remind me. Hell, I wasn’t even a pilot yet.” Anna averted her gaze from Layris, afraid to hear more. She didn’t like thinking too much about her time with Layris, still a tad remorseful for how the relationship ended.

Despite Anna’s pleas, Layris continued. “We used to be so close… What happened to us?” She pulled a little on Anna’s wrist, begging for her attention.

Anna froze in place, before collapsing back down to Layris’ side. “Well, you kind of mentioned it already. You got married. It- I didn’t feel like I belonged anymore.” She felt the energy leave her as Layris put another hand on hers. Layris’ hand was cold, anchoring Anna’s mind as she finally looked back into her eyes.

“I thought you liked Wrought!” Layris poked at her, pulling Anna up onto the bed. Anna flopped up by her side like a fish out of water, wriggling around. “I thought I was the pathetic one, you big baby,” Layris giggled a little, finally releasing Anna’s wrist.

Pulling Layris into a hug, Anna smiled at her. “I did like Wrought, but I- well we were a group of three, and then you two started dating, and hanging out more alone. I always knew it would happen eventually, but it just…” Anna trailed off, still afraid that Layris was upset, or would tell her to leave.

Anna felt Layris smack her on the head, recoiling a bit. “Ow!” She rubbed the impact point, pouting at Layris for the assault.

“You idiot, I thought you hated me or something! If that was everything, you should’ve just said.” She stopped for a moment, pulling away from the hug that Anna had drawn her into. “We missed you, just thought dragging you along was going to be awk- ah.” Layris paused, giving a sheepish grin. “Sorry.”

Silence.

The two burst out into a fit of laughter, with Anna coming to a stop first. She grabbed Layris’ hand and looked her in the eyes as she calmed down. Layris couldn’t help but be a little stunned, a flutter blowing through her chest.

“I’m. Well, I’m sorry too. I didn’t reach out.” Anna paused for a moment, considering what she was about to say. “Is it too late now? I’m- well I don’t think I could replace Wrought. I wouldn’t want to. Can we still be…” Anna trailed off, not sure what to say. It was probably the worst time to ask, to come back into her life, her husband hav-

“Yeah. I want you here. I think Wrought would too, for what it’s worth.” She leaned forward, planting a soft kiss on Anna’s forehead. Layris felt a little surprised at Anna’s forward attitude, but her presence was comforting. She was still raw, but it couldn’t help to have a friend nearby.

Anna stuttered for a moment, opening and closing her mouth in surprise. “I- Um.” She shook her head for a moment. “Yeah.” A rosy blush worked its way onto her face, with Anna doing her best to hide her face. She could feel the heat radiating off of her cheeks, embarrassed by her reaction to such a basic question.

“I’m not letting you out of this bed, by the way. You just volunteered to be my pillow for the next nine months.” Layris pulled Anna closer, leaning on her. She rolled over a bit, laying on Anna’s head.

A muffled cry sounded out from Anna, suffocated under Layris’ back. She pushed her friend- lover- colleague off of her. “You’re carrying the baby?” Anna hadn’t known anybody who didn’t use an incubation pod, the process of keeping a fetus in one’s stomach usually only necessary for those who couldn’t afford the process.

“Ehh… I’m still thinking about it. Not sure I like the idea of my kid spending seven or eight months in a pod.” She released Anna a bit, freeing her to get comfortable in Layris’ arms. “Probably the right choice. Still need to get out there to get some revenge for Wrought, whatever that looks like.” Layris knew that she couldn’t pilot with a baby in her stomach, the risks of miscarriage too high, and it would cause issues with her spinal link.

“Any ideas what you’re gonna name the little bugger?” Anna queried. She wanted to know, especially if she was going to be around after it was born.

Layris paused for a moment, remembering her last conversation with Wrought. She should probably respect his last wishes, right?

“Something about flowers, maybe a little bit of iron.” She couldn’t help herself, still wanting to spite Wrought a little for dying just like that. A mix of the two, then.

Anna nodded, pressing deeper into the warm body next to her. She thought for a moment, searching her mind. “Vernonia. It’s a flower on earth, sometimes called Ironweed.” It wasn’t lost on her why Layris wanted a name like that.

“I like it,” Layris replied. She closed her eyes, imagining how Wrought would find the name. They had never gotten the chance to begin really discussing the topic, before he went out on his last mission.

Too long, something shorter. Why are we naming our kid after a weed?

She’d get her way, in the end though. He’d chuckle, and insist that he loved the name all along. Layris did her best to avoid thinking about his smile, his laugh, his-

Layris pressed deeper into Anna, who let out a little yowl as she was once again suffocated. She sniffled, tears trickling down her face as she held her friend tight.

Anna moved to get air, squirming in Layris’ arms. She broke free of the bear hug, feigning gasping for air.

Layris giggled a bit, Anna’s shifting around tickling her a bit and lifting her mood. “You’re like a cat, you know. Maybe that’s why you didn’t get along with Pyr all so well.” Anna’s tiffs with Pyralis had become almost infamous on the base, having become more and more pronounced ever since Elara had been out of the picture.

“Shut your mouth, princess,” Anna mumbled into Layris’ shoulder. She hugged Layris tighter, as if she was afraid of letting her go. “I get along fine with her these days.” It wasn’t entirely a lie, the two had been going out on scouting missions more, and the relationship was a lot more playful, the two having bonded over Elara’s supposed death.

“These days, hm?” Layris teased. She pet Anna’s head, letting herself sink into the hug that the two had settled into. Anna let out a little purr, pressing closer to Layris as if she was a real cat.

Anna lightly bit Layris’ neck, grinning as she got a little bit of revenge for the comment. “Yep!” She chuckled, having made sure to bite down hard enough to leave at least a little bit of a bruise.

Layris jumped at the love bite, pouting at Anna. “You really aren’t disproving that you’re basically a cat this way, you know.” She continued to stroke Anna’s hair, and began to scratch a bit at her neck.

“Ohh and is that so bad, hm? Hell, somebodies gotta replace the relationship Elara and Pyr had, why not us!” Anna joked, but the mention of Elara still felt like it struck something raw in her. Probably too soon.

Layris nodded, “Maybe you were just jealous of Pyralis, hm? She had a nice owner and you wanted some of that for yourself, little kitten.” She was now just giving Anna scritches on her head, giggling as she felt the curls part between her fingers.

Anna was stunned by the reply, unable to come back with a proper response, instead letting out a noise only describable as desperate. “Mmahg…”

“Use your words, girl.” Layris flicked the back of Anna’s neck, moving back to look at the crumpled up girl in her arms named Anna. She was beautiful, even in her feisty little state. Layris had considered asking her out, back when she was with Wrought, but had thought Anna was a little out of her league. How the tables turn.

“Maybe,” Anna spat. She pressed forward, closing the gap that Layris created. She felt at home again, back in the arms that she feared so long ago. It didn’t matter what the two were to her, as long as she could be by her friend’s side. God knows she needed it ever since Elara had left.

A cruel smile painted itself onto Layris’ face, as she planted another kiss on her friend’s forehead. “Good girl.”